Due to copyright issues, an electronic copy of the thesis must be ordered from the faculty. For the faculty to have time to process the order, the order must be received by the faculty at the latest 2 days before the public defence. Orders received later than 2 days before the defence will not be processed. After the public defence, please address any inquiries regarding the thesis to the candidate.
Trial Lecture – time and place
See Trial Lecture.
Adjudication committee
- First opponent: Assistant Professor Jenna Guthmiller, University of Colorado Anschutz School of Medicine, USA
- Second opponent: Professor Mats Ohlin, Lund University, Sweden
- Third member and chair of the evaluation committee: Associate Professor Nikolina Sekulic, University of Oslo
Chair of the Defence
Professor Emeritus Frode Vartdal, University of Oslo
Principal Supervisor
Professor Jan Terje Andersen, University of Oslo
Summary
This doctoral thesis is situated within the field of molecular medicine and explores novel strategies for improving the pharmacokinetics and delivery of protein-based therapeutics and vaccines. Current biologics often require repeated injections because of rapid clearance, and large molecules typically cannot cross mucosal barriers efficiently. There is therefore a need for strategies that extend plasma half-life and allow for alternative delivery routes.
The work presented here explores the use of human albumin, engineered for improved binding to the neonatal Fc receptor (FcRn), as a carrier for both therapeutics and subunit vaccines. Albumin naturally interacts with FcRn to avoid degradation and to cross polarized epithelial barriers. By enhancing this interaction, the engineered albumin variant fused to molecules of interest more efficiently supports recycling, biodistribution, and mucosal transport.
In experimental studies, albumin-based vaccines targeting respiratory viruses induced strong systemic and mucosal immune responses after non-invasive intranasal delivery, and provided long-lasting protection against infection. Similarly, therapeutic proteins fused to albumin showed extended plasma half-life and improved activity compared to conventional formats, with examples including fusions to a viral receptor and a hormone.
Together, these findings highlight engineered albumin as a versatile carrier that can extend the lifespan of protein therapeutics, enable non-invasive delivery, and reduce dosing frequency. This platform may thus contribute to the development of next-generation biologics with improved efficacy, safety, and patient compliance.
Additional information
Contact the research support staff.